Subject: Health technologies

This project Optimize landscape analysis identifies trends in the availability of vaccines and novel vaccine delivery technologies that are and will be of relevance to low- and middle-income countries from present through 2025. The document is available as one large file or as three smaller sections for easier downloading.

Safe drinking water is essential to good health and quality of life. However, in resource-poor settings like Vietnam and Cambodia, water often comes from unsafe sources and carries dangerous pathogens. This fact sheet outlines the work that PATH is implementing in Vietnam and Cambodia to enable commercial enterprises to produce, distribute, sell, and maintain good-quality household water treatment and storage products for low-income populations.

Fifteen strains of Escherichia coli from various geographical areas, animal, and soil sources were tested on standard and nonstandard detection assays at temperatures from 23°C to 45°C to test the viability of currently available E. coli tests in low-resource settings. Presented at the American Society for Microbiology Conference, June 1, 2008; Boston, MA.

Technologies related to the temperature control of vaccines during the distribution process are essential to the cool chain. This project Optimize report provides a landscape analysis of these technologies and their appropriateness for use with vaccines in the developing world.

This report documents a participatory evaluation that sought to expand the accessibility, availability, and use of appropriate and effective neonatal resuscitator devices for South African populations.

This issue of Directions in Global Health profiles our effort to expand access to safe water, particularly in India; a project to improve nutrition for infants and young children; our thermostable vaccine work; surveillance activities for Japanese encephalitis; and our work under the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition.

This tool was developed to provide a simple, efficient framework for conducting a self-assessment of health care waste-management (HCWM) planning at the national level. By collecting data on key achievements, knowledge, and practices at the district and national levels, the framework allows programs to quickly aggregate data, highlight trends, and identify gaps. A national-level workshop then provides the opportunity to outline next steps for moving the revised HCWM planning agenda forward.

An overview of a diagnostic platform that PATH is developing based on nucleic-acid amplification that will require no instrumentation. It has the dual purpose of providing molecular diagnostics at the point of care as well as stabilizing nucleic-acid specimens for further analysis via a centralized surveillance system. Presented at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry 40th Annual Oak Ridge Conference, April 17, 2008; San Jose, CA.

A report on the selection and evaluation of target markers for a multiplex diagnostic platform under development. Based on the DxBox platform being developed as part of a public-private consortium lead by the University of Washington. Presented at the Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, March 25, 2008; San Francisco, CA.

A report on appropriate product specifications and the challenges of introducing a point-of-care multiplexed diagnostic platform in low-resource settings in developing countries. Based on the DxBox platform being developed as part of a public-private consortium lead by the University of Washington. Presented at: Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, March 25, 2008; San Francisco, CA.

This report provides an overview of the status of civil-society engagement in each phase of microbicide research, development, and introduction and identifies the resources and specific action steps needed to move from the current level of engagement to where we need to be. .

This is part of a series of project briefs discussing the activities, research findings, and field experiences of PATH’s Safe Water Project. The project briefs are available in two formats: one for onscreen viewing and one for booklet-style printing.

This is part of a series of project briefs discussing the activities, research findings, and field experiences of PATH’s Safe Water Project. The briefs are available in two formats: one for onscreen viewing and one for booklet-style printing.

This issue of Directions in Global Health profiles five aspects of PATH's work: our regional efforts to control tuberculosis, the development of and new applications for the Uniject device, a study evaluating storage of hepatitis B vaccine outside of the cold chain, promotion of condom use among young people, and PATH's procurement team.

A report on selecting and testing phase change materials for their ability to maintain a temperature range for duration sufficient to drive a PCR reaction. Presented at: Microfluidics, BioMEMS, and Medical Microsystems VI, January 22, 2008; San Jose, CA.

The USAID-funded Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage Initiative (POPPHI) has developed numerous fact sheets on postpartum hemorrhage to educate individuals on its severity and how it can be avoided through active management of the third stage of labor.